Second Sunday of Advent (2nd Peter 3:8-14) “Jesus is Waiting for Me.”
Second Sunday of Advent (2nd Peter 3:8-14) “Jesus is Waiting for Me.”
We all prepare for important events in life. We are getting ready for another Christmas holiday right now.
What are we doing these days? We are probably in the middle of sending Christmas cards if we maintain that custom. We catch up with old friends we haven’t contacted for a while. Many are baking cookies. We just had our yearly parish cookie walk. Some of us have decorated. Others are in the middle of doing that. And of course, there is the shopping that we must do.
If we don’t feel ready for Christmas, we can be anxious. Do we wonder if we will remember everyone, we need to buy a gift for, write to, issue invitations to? We may be dreading Christmas if we think like we forgot something. On the other hand, if we feel like we got all the preparations made we say, “I can’t wait.”
During these Advent days we also remember that we are to prepare for Jesus’ second coming. Isaiah writes poetically about the arrival of the “Day of the Lord.” On that day the prophets remind us we will leave the concerns of this world behind. We will enter a time of fulfillment. The golden age will be here.
But first we need to go through a time of tribulations. The heavens will pass away with a mighty roar. The elements will be dissolved by fire. Everyone will be found out. Whatever we have done in life will be exposed.
John the Baptist adds to the anxiety by pointing to Jesus as the one who will bring about the end of the world. In other gospels we are reminded that this will be the day of the harvest. Perhaps the thing that is more disturbing than anything else is when the predictions revolve around the idea that the day will arrive without notice. No one can predict when it will happen. And none of us like surprises.
We all have unexpected circumstances in life. We got a call this year from the diocese. The finance office, we were told, wanted to come and audit us. If anyone has ever gone through an audit it usually isn’t a thing we plan for. We wondered what the accountants will be looking for. Have we done something wrong? In the end it was just a routine check which took less than a day. Everything was in order.
We have similar feelings when we go through a physical. The doctor looks us over saying everything is fine. But then we get our blood drawn. The doctor looks at the blood work. He says, “Oh my, the cholesterol is high. The glucose is borderline.” Even though we were feeling fine, now must engage in changes in diet, more exercise, changes in lifestyle so things will be better in six months.
We get a sense when we listen to Christian preachers that Jesus is like the auditor coming to town. Jesus, they say, wants to come when we least expect so he can catch us at our worst. The thought of Jesus’ arrival can put us on edge. Pondering the final judgement, what a way to ruin a holiday mood!
But is that the how Jesus operates? The section of the Second Letter of Peter should reassure us today. The writer says to remember that God doesn’t mark time the way we do. Jesus is patient. Jesus doesn’t want anyone to suffer. Jesus wants to give us all the time we need to become better people. We all are going to be given time to repent.
As human beings, most of us grow to be the holy people we are called to be. We all take different amounts of time. We can’t say that at 50 we will be virtuous, at 60 we will be righteous, at 70 we will all achieve holiness. In everyone’s life it works differently. But one thing is certain which is that Jesus’ desire is that when he meets us, we will be at our best. He doesn’t want to catch us off guard. He doesn’t want to say, “Gotcha.” Nothing would sadden him more.
If we have a deep desire for a relationship with Jesus, we needn’t fear the day of the Lord’s coming. Usually, we will feel like the person who just completed the list of Christmas preparations. We will say, “Let’s go ahead and start the celebration.”
Reflection Questions:
Do I like to think about the end of the world? Why or why not?
Am I confident that the Lord is rich in mercy? What might cause me to doubt this?
Dear Parishioners,
We are in the middle of Advent. Advent is said to be a time of penance. We are to be engaged in prayer, fasting and almsgiving. This is hard to think about as we move from party to party. We are all probably in the middle of a spending spree as we buy holiday gifts. Fasting is the furthest thing from our minds as we feast on a sweet treat.
But we can still do simple things to make Advent meaningful that do not take much effort. We can use the little blue books that we have passed out. We can read through a brief reflection every day which only takes a couple of minutes. We can donate to our favorite charity. We also can take some time to pray for the people caught up in wars in Palestine and Ukraine. I can’t imagine how hard life is for them to just stay alive.
We might have someone who we know who is alone for the holidays. Could we reach out to engage them in conversation. Spending five minutes listening to another person could mean so much.
We might turn off all media for several hours a day. The quiet can cleanse us and slow our racing minds down. Our cell phones seem to control our every waking thought.
These all might seem like little things. But often little things can make a big difference.
May Our Lady Pray for us,
Fr. Mark